Today, Bill Ordine at the Baltimore Sun added more information in the Dana Jacobson story. In case you hadn’t heard, a few weeks ago, Dana Jacobson, an ESPN TV personality went to a sports roast, along with other celebrities.
The roast wasn’t televised and the only reporting media was Scott Cronick, with the Atlantic City Press.
Jacobson was reported to be drinking vodka from a bottle and disgraced herself and ESPN with off color remarks about the Notre Dame football team and also “Touchdown Jesus,” a mural that can be seen from the Notre Dame stadium. The mural is outside the stadium, a short distance away.
A lot of people are up in arms about the remarks Jacobson is said to have made, while under the influence of alcohol, at the roast. I was asked to comment on that, and to condemn her for not apologizing.
What I found was inconclusive. It seems she was drunk and she made crude remarks about the school and the mural, but there was something else that people are really upset about.
Jacobsen aplogized for her remarks and ESPN suspended her for a week. Based on what was reported, possibly falsely, some people want Jacobsen fired and some want ESPN boycotted. The problem seems to be that the thing they are up in arms about – didn’t happen.
The Baltimore Sun’s Bill Ordine says “According to the Christian Newswire, the Christian Defense Coalition is planning a noon prayer vigil outside ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. The group wants Jacobson fired.”
The really offensive remark attributed to Jacobson, by an unknown source, was “F— Jesus.”
Ordine reports ‘Cronick (The Atlantic Press reporter) said he did not hear the Jesus reference, “and neither did some other people I spoke to who were at the roast.” ‘
Almost all of the known information is from third parties and for some reason, ESPN has not released what it knows – that seems like a really bad move on their part.
A lot of people have commented on Ordine’s blog entry, but most of them seem to have overlooked the fact that the reporter who was at the roast, did not hear Jocobson say the offensive remark.
So that seems like a good reason why Jacobson did not apologize for it. She didn’t make the third reference and that is most likely the reason she didn’t apologize for it – it never happened.
I could be wrong, but I haven’t heard one person who was actually there, say they heard the third reference, so the first one was F the school, the second was F the mural and thats all that happened.
Did she disgrace herself and ESPN – yes – and that is why ESPN suspended her. I remain to be convinced that she said anything else.
If she did say it, people have the right to be upset, but I just don’t see the evidence yet.
Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg, the ESPN talk show hosts were the ones being roasted. My guess is they won’t comment on what was said.
If you attended the roast, please let me know what you heard.
